Ice wine was once thought to come from the tears Greek god Dionysus cried upon learning that humans stomped on innocent grapes. Taste the essence of wine god emotion with today’s Groupon from Niagara Fun Tours. Choose from the following options:

• For $49, you get a Winter Wine Tour for one (an $111.87 value).
• For $79, you get a Winter Wine Tour for two (a $223.74 value).
• For $138, you get a Winter Wine Tour for four (a $357.08 value).<p>

Each Winter Wine Tour includes the following: * Round-trip transportation from Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake * Tastings at The Ice House Winery, Pillitteri Estates Winery, Joseph’s Estate Winery, and Caroline Cellars Winery * Northern Ice Slushy tasting at The Ice House Winery * Self-guided tours at each winery * Tour of Chocolate FX factory<p>

Niagara Fun Tours escorts flocks of oenophiles on day treks to sample ice wine and other vineyard bounties at four wineries studding the Niagara Wine Belt. Tour guests step into a mountain chalet atmosphere as they enter The Ice House Winery’s rustic wood tasting bar and sample the winery’s most piquant late-harvest wines and ice wines. Tongues plunge into the Northern Ice Slushy, a frozen libation crafted from Northern Ice vidal blanc that, like a romantic comedy about star-crossed snowmen, cools and warms at the same time. Après-tasting, guests recline on warm leather couches or embark on a self-guided winery tour to learn how winemakers harvest frozen grapes and press them into their final liquid form. Transports then depart for Pillitteri Estates Winery, where riesling, chardonnay, and cabernet sauvignon along with VQA ice wines slosh into tasting glasses after their several-month hitchhike from the winery’s 100 acres of plantings. For up to 40 minutes, guests can explore boutique shopping or bask in the building’s blend of baroque and modern castle decor.

At Joseph’s Estate Winery, guests gather around the tasting bar to run palates through a gauntlet of nationally recognized wines crafted to VQA standards. Over the course of 45 minutes, guests sip ice wines and late-harvest blends along with a limited edition Winter Festival of Lights reserve, which thrills taste buds more than actual winter lights. At the final stop, Caroline Cellars Winery’s country atmosphere draws visitors across rolling fields into a rustic wood farmhouse. Once inside the tasting bar, guests pique palates with four wine tastings, including one ice wine tasting.

Tours end with a challenge to wine’s palate domination at Chocolate FX, where chocolate artisans fashion often-unconventional taste combinations using traditional panning and moulding techniques. Guests peek into the chocolate-making process and view panning in action on a guided tour, which culminates in free samples from 85+ chocolates as well as screenplay ideas for a chocolate bar’s bildungsroman. Attendees can substitute ice wine samples for red or white wines at any of the tour stops.